2009-09-25T11:27:00Z Copyright (c) 2007-2008, The RAND Corporation Bricolage RAND Corporation urn:uuid:0955DEEE-F6D5-11DD-8200-12D538788F35 urn:uuid:0ADF5C66-A9D3-11DE-B200-3FC038788F35 2009-09-25T00:00:00Z 2009-09-25T00:00:00Z

If the United States is to be a global competitor in green building technology, it needs to learn from some of the countries that are at the table in Pittsburgh this week, writes Charles Ries.

urn:uuid:0FFFF5A0-25C3-11DE-9C2A-51C038788F35 2009-05-01T00:00:00Z 2009-05-01T00:00:00Z

Shortly after the inauguration of President Barack Obama, RAND hosted a panel discussion with three former U.S. secretaries of transportation. These conference proceedings summarize their comments on which issues should be among the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) top priorities, DOT funding and appropriation, earmarking and transparency in the transportation funding process, and the federal role in transportation policy.

urn:uuid:B4D3CA28-222D-11DE-9852-52C038788F35 2009-04-14T00:00:00Z 2009-04-14T00:00:00Z

Devising policies to mitigate greenhouse gases responsible for climate change is one of the great challenges facing the U.S. Options that are effective and politically feasible must not just be cost-effective but also consider the realities of passing major federal legislation with widespread impacts on U.S. producers and consumers.

urn:uuid:DDDD1A0E-154A-11DE-B0C0-40C038788F35 2009-03-26T00:00:00Z 2009-03-26T00:00:00Z

In testimony presented before the California Little Hoover Commission, James Dobbins suggests financing alternatives to replace declining fuel taxes and non-user fees in order to promote efficient transportation infrastructure development.

urn:uuid:DD5B1ED0-01BA-11DE-BDFB-4DC038788F35 2009-03-09T00:00:00Z 2009-03-09T00:00:00Z

In June 2008, RAND convened three workshops for private and public sector representatives to discuss their competing views on climate change mitigation. The conference allowed them to find commonality on such issues as technological innovation; potential legislative and regulatory solutions; international cooperation; and public engagement.

urn:uuid:A5A37D24-0760-11DE-96F6-7E2939788F35 2009-03-05T00:00:00Z 2009-03-05T00:00:00Z

In testimony presented before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, James T. Bartis addresses critical R&D needs and opportunities associated with fossil energy.

urn:uuid:526F7E52-EED6-11DD-8D8D-50C038788F35 2009-02-13T00:00:00Z 2009-02-13T00:00:00Z

China's Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) can best spur regional development and economic growth by focusing on emerging high-technology applications, including molecular-scale drug development and green manufacturing.

urn:uuid:9C608FE4-B7CF-11DD-B95A-51C038788F35 2008-12-10T03:00:00Z 2008-12-10T03:00:00Z

The federal government can spark the creation of a commercially competitive coal-to-liquids industry by fostering early development of plants that would produce transportation fuels from coal, as well as by expanding its investment in carbon sequestration technology to help limit, and possibly reduce, greenhouse gas emissions levels.

urn:uuid:4B98BA50-8976-11DD-BB75-58C038788F35 2008-10-08T03:00:00Z 2008-10-08T03:00:00Z

Alternative sources of fossil fuels such as oil sands and coal-to-liquids have significant economic promise, but the environmental consequences must also be considered.

urn:uuid:39F010A4-75C2-11DD-B087-58C038788F35 2008-10-02T03:00:00Z 2008-10-02T03:00:00Z

A comprehensive look at Los Angeles traffic debunks common myths about the metropolitan region's traffic patterns and details the reasons why congestion is so bad — and why it will get worse in the coming years without significant policy changes.

urn:uuid:F5A606C2-63AD-11DD-8633-DAEA38788F35 2008-08-19T03:00:00Z 2008-08-19T03:00:00Z

The volume of freight transported in the United States is expected to double over the next 30 years. Greater use of rail freight could allow the supply chain to accommodate this increase while minimizing highway congestion and reducing fuel consumption.

urn:uuid:4228FA88-3D32-11DD-AF9F-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-24T03:00:00Z 2008-06-24T03:00:00Z

Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs.

urn:uuid:BF4D1EA8-BD22-11DC-A98F-BABE38788F35 2008-01-31T03:00:00Z 2008-01-31T03:00:00Z

Climate change will affect water supplies in California, but few water-management agencies have formally included it in their plans. Robust decisionmaking methods can help identify vulnerabilities related to climate change and evaluate the most effective options for managing those risks.

urn:uuid:BE2915C2-BD22-11DC-A98F-BABE38788F35 2008-01-10T03:00:00Z 2008-01-10T03:00:00Z

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of water-efficiency programs can be difficult, because not all the benefits are easily quantified. An economic framework based on two tools from the California Urban Water Conservation Council helps estimate the avoided costs and environmental benefits of increasing water-use efficiency.

urn:uuid:ACC9A292-9F54-11DC-B1A9-BBBE38788F35 2007-11-29T03:00:00Z 2007-11-29T03:00:00Z

Instead of the complicated "cap-and-trade" system to reduce carbon emissions proposed in current congressional legislation, a tax on carbon dioxide refunded directly to individuals would cut emissions while cushioning the impact on the pocketbooks of American families, write Keith Crane and James Bartis.

urn:uuid:D483289E-1FE8-11DC-925D-BDE5D44B69C5 2007-07-09T03:00:00Z 2007-07-09T03:00:00Z

Scenarios play a prominent role in policy debates over climate change, but questions continue about how best to use them. A new analytic method, based on robust decisionmaking, can be applied to water resource management in California and climate change policy questions.

urn:uuid:D9D30A58-095E-11DC-AE88-B1A96D6218A8 2007-05-24T03:01:00Z 2007-05-24T03:01:00Z

In testimony presented before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, James T. Bartis discusses the key problems and policy issues associated with developing a domestic coal-to-liquids industry.